In Memory Of Maurice Sendak Boys With Banjos

In Memory Of Maurice Sendak

May 8th

Sad news everyone: Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator of the children’s book Where The Wild Things Are, passed away this morning. It’s a great loss, not only felt in the literary and art worlds — he was a self-taught artist, illustrating many children’s books — but across the globe, as kids of all ages have been reaching for his beloved works since the 1940s. Over the decades, his colorful characters and drawings have served as a whimsical escape from real life and as source of inspiration — influencing ink, art, music, crafts and film. We’ve rounded up a few quotes, projects, and art in memory of Mr. Sendak, so come celebrate his life with us after the jump.

Tattoos inspired by the Wild Things…

Nan Lawson’s Max illustration…

The Telegraph rounded-up ten inspirational quotes from Sendak, here are two of our favorites:

“Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters — sometimes very hastily — but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, “Dear Jim: I loved your card.” Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, “Jim loved your card so much he ate it.” That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it.”

“Peter Rabbit, for all its gentle tininess, loudly proclaims that no story is worth the writing, no picture worth the making, if it is not a work of imagination.”